Doomed For Metal Reviews

Mouth of Madness is an extreme metal band from Germany that formed in 2013.  Up until now their only release was their self-titled EP.  Over a decade later they now grace us with their debut full-length, “ Even Horizon .” If I’m being honest, I could do without the three ambient tracks but that’s more a personal opinion than a true knock against it—they do fit into the context of the album as a whole, but they just aren’t really my thing.  However, the other tracks are fucking madness.  Pun not intended.  Or maybe it was.  I don’t really care either way. But what I do care about is how unique this album sounds.  It fits into the realm of black and death metal—it even has thrash elements as well. Hell, there are even some doom (ish) moments here and there.  But the way they put all this together builds a sound that is wholly their own.   Check out the first metal song, “ Sex and Thanatos .”  I have no idea what that could even mean;...

Beleth’s Trumpet is a Finnish black metal band that formed in 2023.  Their latest release is their full-length debut album, “ Chapel of Bones .”  In 2024, they released a demo as well. I love black metal but prefer stuff that sounds a bit different than the standard garden (an evil garden) variety blackened tapestry.  However, I don’t discount the more straightforward stuff out of hand, either.    Beleth’s Trumpet ’s " Chapel of Bones ,” is decidedly one of a narrow vision in terms of presenting itself as anything other than checking off the blackened boxes of the genres.  However, if you’re going to do something then do it well.  In the case of this album, it’s done goddamn great.  Hail satin.  And while you're sitting on that lovely soft material, put this album on and then hail Satan.  It might worship on the altar of no-frills black metal but two things make this album really stand out for me: the production and the atmosphere....

Patristic is a blackened death metal band from Italy who formed in 2022. “Catechesis,” is their full-length debut; they also released an EP in 2022. Most notably, this band features Hideous Divinity guitarist Enrico Schettino . If that isn't enough to make you pay attention, then you suck or don't like extreme metal. Actually, why not both?  At any rate, you’ll have to really like extreme metal to truly appreciate this beast of an album.  It is dense, layered, and dissonant.  Even the production is a monster:  it’s thick with atmosphere yet manages to capture every little detail.  It’s your ears that will be the problem:  human beings just can’t listen to this much awesome in one setting and get everything needed.  “Catechesis,” needs multiple listens—which is good, because this album more than deserves those extra spins. The opening song, “ A Vinculis Soluta I ,” kicks the album off with clean but sinister tones.  The foreshadowing here is amazi...

False Gods is a doom/sludge band from New York, who formed in 2015.  Their latest release, “ Lost in Darkness and Distance ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released three EPs.  I love the energy in this album–it is pervasive, raucous, and feels unlimited.  It isn’t often that anything under the doom and sludge pantheon has such boundless exuberance, but this album is infectious as hell in terms of its flow.  There is a hardcore/punk energy to the music and vocals, which makes sense because, well, sludge.  The doomy, despondent atmosphere is always present though, so it makes for a very engaging and interesting listen.  This album is both sullen and explosive. The tempo varies quite a bit, the album rolling freely between fast parts and slower paced passages but always bringing with it massive riffs and strong rhythms.  The production is pretty tight, capturing the low tones and bringing them to the ears without any strain or difficu...

Thorndale is a heavy/stoner doom band of international origins.   Their latest release, " Spiritual Chains ,” is their second EP.    I wasn’t familiar with the band before but they sure as hell are on my radar now.   “ Spiritual Chains ,” is a short but sweet little piece of music, with 6 songs clocking in at just over 23 minutes.  As I mentioned in the intro, the album’s sound is very much rooted in doom but they aren’t afraid to speed up at times, either.  Regardless of what tempo they choose, this album has more riffs than uh…something that would have a lot of riffs.  Seriously, guitarists Peter and Maarten , along with bassist Zigor , provide some of the best and most catchy riffs I’ve heard ALL YEAR.   Vocalist Gustavo has an incredible voice—smooth, expressive, yet heavy and powerful.  This dude sings his ass off and supplies the band with an incredible amount of energy.   Backing all of this up is guest musician on drums...

A Flock Named Murder is a Canadian metal band who formed in 2018.  Their latest release, “ Incendiary Sanctum ,” is their second full-length; they have also released a split.  The band’s sound is dynamic and covers a lot of ground; death, black and post will all be found here, wrapped up inside four long songs.  The album manages to be over an hour long so those with short attention spans might want to look elsewhere.  I’m a doom and prog fan so the song lengths don’t bother me.   Regardless of length, a song has to be good and keep my attention—none of these songs had a problem with that.  In fact, each song glided by very quickly because their structures are engaging and the band uses their time well.  There isn’t any fluff or passages that seem to be filler—everything in the songs needs to be there and would fall apart without. I’m happy to report the production/mix is on point as well—with these songs being stuffed to the gills, every detail ...

The Bleak Picture is a Finnish doom metal band who formed in 2021. Their latest album, “ Shades of Life ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released an EP.  I didn't review it but I liked their previous album, “ Meaningless ,” quite a bit. How does this one compare? It's even better and exactly how a follow up sophomore album should be. The band's sound is very melodic. It isn't a happy, bright melodic but instead a dismal, distraught collection of dismal soundscapes. Finland knows how to pour on the melancholy but this album pushes that concept further. This album is cold as ice—listening to it could give even the warmest wind a deep chill. I like how it's riff based with a lot of guitar but still has a lot of liminal spaces in between the melodies. This gives the album a heavy, dense feel while returning a distant, despondent sound. There is nothing overly complicated here but doom doesn't need that. What it needs, especially this style, i...

Mosara is a doom metal band from Phoenix, Arizona who formed in 2005 and finally hitting the scene in 2019 with their self-titled demo.  Their latest album, ‘ Rumour of a Funeral ,” is their third full length album; they have also released an EP. “ Rumour of a Funeral ,” is a pretty extreme album.  I can hear some elements of post and sludge in it too, which only adds to the album’s potent mix of doomed melancholy and crushing sonic palpitations.  Of course, doom isn’t the happiest genre but that doesn’t mean it can’t be emotional—this album definitely is.  After all, not all emotions are happy ones!   The whole album is suffocating and not just in the oppressive atmosphere for dense riffs but also in the production and mix.  It sounds absolutely immense and palpable….the audio version of a panic attack that precedes a bought of depression.  Doom is easily my favorite genre of all time and I love when a band embraces the sounds of darkness— Mosara...

Growing Horns is a doom/sludge band from Belgium that formed in 2015; their latest release, “ The Essence of Suffering ,” is their debut full-length; they released an EP in 2019. “ The Essence of Suffering ,” is a well-rounded doom metal album.  Overall, it’s a very raw album that’s exposed like a nerve.  It has moments of hellish speed, rolling grooves, and massive stoner/southern sludge tone to it too.  In short, it’s a dynamic album that plays to its strengths, of which there are many. Daf ’s vocals are pretty unique, incorporating urgent, epic cleans with shouts, growls, and even blackened screams.  His performance is startling and fits the album’s music like a glove.  Win ’s bass slaps like hell too—so often, albums of such a heavy nature cover up the bass but not the case here.  Instead, it’s another weapon in an already deadly arsenal.  The drums are the same too, Kev constantly providing a well-rounded performance that compliments the various ...

Red Eye is a doom metal band from Spain, who formed in 2016.  Their latest album, “ III ” is their, wait for it, third album.  But don’t wait for it—jump on this now because it’s fantastic.   The band is a three piece, but they sound like an invading army of a thousand— Pablo ’s drums and Antonio ’s bass are basically the audio version of an earthquake.  Whether you play it loud, or with a decent pair of headphones, your brain is going to be rattled inside your skull by these two. What’s more metal than that? Perhaps Antonio Campo ’s guitars?  Thick as hell, sweltering as the sun and loaded with enough fuzz to tame a hippo.  His tone is very deep and sludgy, providing riffs for days, which resulted in pain for days with all the headbanging I did.  The three of them together just have this absolutely massive sound.  The production helps too: loud (not overly) with a fantastic mix that captures the instruments on an individual level yet brings...

Hibernaut is a sludge/stoner/doom metal band from Salt Lake City, Utah.  They formed in 2020 and “Obsidian Eye,” is their second full-length album. I reviewed their 2023 debut album, “ Ingress ,” and gave it high remarks.  How does this one fair?   “ Obsidian Eye ,” takes everything that was great about their debut and injects it with steroids and gunpowder.  The foundation of their stoner/psychedelic tendencies remain intact but their sludgy doom has turned into a whole never lifeform.  Seriously, this album is intense as hell and surprisingly aggressive.   Of course, with the subject matter asking the question of “who decides to die” then the music is going to be very abrasive!  The album, according to the band, is a conceptual journey into death, decay and the perversion of rebirth…heavy subject matter!   The production/mix is on fucking point too.  It has a bottomless feel to it, which helps the guitars/bass sound deeper t...

Furnace is a death metal band from Sweden, formed in 2019 by Rogga Johansson and Peter Svensson. Their latest album, “Eternally Enthroned,” is their sixth full-length album.   “Eternally Enthroned,” is a very melodic album, having as much atmosphere on that side of the death metal fence as it does the aggressive side.  With that being said, this is a much more dark album compared to a lot of melodic death--this is not the Gothenburg sound.  Although they don’t sound all that similar, this is more along the lines of Insomnium, in that it’s more dour and downtrodden.  However, it’s far more aggressive and keeps a solid balance of extremity and melody. Musically, this is pretty catchy.  Both Peter’s bass and Lars’ drums are a solid, steady powerhouse that are just dynamic enough to boost up the lighter parts but have no trouble hammering the heavier stuff in.  Sometimes it’s best to go simple and I love that Rogga and co recognize this.  The opening ...

There has been a resurgence lately of metal bands taking a more traditional approach. Personally, I have found the results to be mixed; it’s a hard genre to pull off it seems.  However, every now and then, a diamond in the rough is formed.  In this case it is Serpent Rider ’s debut album, “ The Ichor of Chimaera .”   The best aspect of the album is it doesn’t focus on being epic or doom, which is what a lot of bands of this style try to do.  Serpent Rider simply plays balls to the walls metal–and I’m all here for it.  I love doom and epic stuff but it’s also refreshing to hear a band that doesn’t try to do anything but play heavy fucking metal.  Brandon ’s riffs seem endless!  He and the other guitarist, Paul , know exactly when to pour on the old school heavy or when to throw in catchy melodies/harmonies.  Whether the tempo is slow, fast, or a mid-paced romp, the rhythm duo of bassist Brian and drummer Drake handle it all with a sterling app...

Castrator is a death metal band based in New York City but of international origins; their members come from Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Colombia and USA.  Their latest release, “ Coronation of the Grotesque ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released a demo and an EP. This is my first experience with the band but it has made a big impression on me–easily one of the best death metal albums in the second half of 2025.  They don’t reinvent the genre but they sure as hell refine it to a very, very sharp point.   The songwriting is on point–across the album’s 10 song, 37 minute runtime there isn’t one moment that is boring nor any added fluff.  The band gets in, destroys the senses, and gets out, leaving a bludgeon, bloodied corpse that were eardrums behind.  There are two aspects of the album that make it stand out to me.  First, it’s catchy.  It shouldn’t be: this is visceral, biting music.  But despite that, each song is memorabl...